July block for Hive 6

Hi Quilty Friends!!

I am so excited to have my turn at being Queen Bee! This is my first time in a bee and I have had such fun making blocks for all of you.  I can't wait to see the quilts you make from these blocks.

I LOVE scrappy quilts and fun fabrics.  And I couldn't decide if I wanted my blocks to be really scrappy or a fun way to show off what fabrics my beemates had hidden in their stashes.  So, I decided to do both.  

I will be making a spool quilt using a combination of string blocks and novelty prints.  I love spool blocks; they are quick to make and are a great way to show off fun fabric.  Each block contains 4 spools.  I would like you to include at least 1 novelty print and at least 1 string block in your block.  So that means you could have...

1 novelty spool and 3 string spools...

 2 novelty and 2 strings...

OR 3 novelty and 1 string.

Pick whatever suits your stash and mood best.

Now, let's talk fabrics.

Background:
I am using white on white. (Please no colors on the whites)  Use as many different fabrics as you like, the scrappier the better.  This is a great way to use up those little odds and ends you've got lying around.  If you only have 1 or 2, that's okay too.  Use what you have.

Spool tops and bottoms:
Please use blacks and greys.  Again, scrappier is better.  I'd love for you to use 4 different fabrics, but if you only own 2 different blacks or greys, that is okay.  Don't stress, this should be fun.  And I want this block to represent YOU!!

Spool centers:
Fun, novelty prints!! Pretty much anything goes, use what makes you happy - unicorns, pirates, mermaids, fruit, flowers, animals... The only thing I ask not to be included would be licensed characters like Elmo and Disney princesses etc...

And of course, happy, scrappy strings.

Let's get started!

For the entire block you will need to cut the following:

Background:
(8) 2" x 5"
(16) 2" squares
(2) 1 1/2 "x 8"
(1) 1 1/2" x 16 1/2"

Spool tops and bottoms:
4 pairs of  2" x 8"

Spool centers:
(1-3) 5" squares of fun novelty fabric
A variety of strings

Let's start with the novelty spool.

You will need:
(1) novelty 5" square
(2) background 2"x 5"
(2) spool 2" x 8"
(4) background 2" squares

 Draw a diagonal line on the back of 4 background squares.

On both ends of your spool pieces, sew on your marked line, trim 1/4" from the edge of your sewn line and trim.  Press towards the white.  Pay attention to the direction that you sew your squares on, so that your spool is shaped correctly.

Now, sew your background rectangles to either side of your novelty print, pressing towards the white.  Sew the top and bottom pieces on and you are done!

Ta-Da!  Easy peasy!

Now, to make the string block.

Gather your little string bits together.  I have lots of pink, so I am going to start with that.

Pull strings that are about 1-2 inches wide. (Don't worry if they aren't straight, it adds to the character) and trim them to about 5 1/2" in length. I got excited and forgot to take a picture of my strings laid out at this point.
Now, sew them all together (Hint:put your thickest strings on the top and bottom to make trimming easier).  Don't worry about sewing perfectly straight lines, thread is messy after all!

Trim it to 5" square.

Now, you can build your spool just like we did with the novelty fabric.

Perfect!

Build 2 more spools of your choice, for a total of 4.

To put your 4 spools together you will need that last few background pieces.

(2) 1 1/2" x 8" and (1) 1 1/2" x 16 1/2"

Sew together as shown in the picture.

That's it!!

I can't wait to see your block!  Thank you for digging into your stash and sharing some of your time and effort with me.  Please let me know if you have any questions!!